Push release latch



June 15; 1965 P. M. MERTES 3,189,374

PUSH RELEASE LATCH Filed Aug. 50, 1963 7 Bi fat/J Mme/2 2s A 7'7'ORNEYUnited States Patent 3,189,374 PUSH RELEASE LATCH Paul M. Mertes, 10603Tujunga Canyon Blvd, Tujunga, Qalif. Filed Aug. 30, 1963, Ser. No.305,771 4 Claims. (Cl. 2Sl280) This invention relates to a latch of thepush release type to hold doors and other closures in a closed positionand to facilitate opening them.

In cabinets, refrigerators and many other structures it is desirablethat means be provided for latching doors in a closed position by alatching means which can be quickly and easily released whenever it isdesired to open them.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simplified latching meanswhich will, in a dependable manner meet the above indicated need.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a latch structurewhich comprises a two-armed spring one arm of which operates to hold aclosure shut when required, and the other arm of which functionsslightly to open the closure when permitted to do so.

Another object is to provide, in a latch of the kind to which theinvention pertains, a simplifiedspring member less expensive tomanufacture and which can be held in its operative position by a singlescrew or like fastener.

It is also an object of the invention to provide, as a means for guidingthe movements of the latching member, a simplified catch block which isgrooved in such a manner as to insure durability.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention willhereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, illustrative of a preferredembodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the catch block with which the spring member ofthe latch co-operates, a fragment of the shelf to which said block isattached being included in the view.

FIG. 2 is a section on line 22 of FIG. 1, the shelf not being shown.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the latch spring showing it in its unstressedcondition.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating how the two members of the latchco-operate to hold the door in approximately a closed position.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the position of the arms of thespring member after the door has been farther pushed in to a completelyclosed position wherein the holding arm of the latch spring has beenreleased.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the positions of the two arms of thespring member just after the door has been started on its openingmovement or just before it has reached its approximately closedposition.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the catch plate or block illustratingdiagrammatically the path of the locking pin in relation thereto.

FIG. 8 is a fragmental side view of a portion of FIG. 3 on line $8 ofsaid view.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the female member of the latchconsists of the deeply grooved catch block or plate 10, apertured toreceive attaching screws 10a. Said plate may be variously contoured, butmust have on one side or end a cam face 11 and on its opposite or end acam face 12, said cam faces being oppositely inclined and convergingtoward the front.

Into the upper face of said plate 10 is deeply cut a main groove 14,which, when the block is in its operative position, leads to the frontedge 15 thereof. This groove is shown as being somewhat wedge-shapedwith its narrow end directed forwardly. A shorter auxiliary entrantarsssn Patented June 15, 1965 groove 16 connects the inner or rearportion of said main groove with the rear part of the cam face 12. Wheresaid grooves join each other a projection 17 is formed which provides ashoulder against which a latching pin at times abuts, as will beunderstood when the operation of the device is described.

The male member of the latch consists of a two-armed leaf spring 2%shown in its unstressed condition in FIG. 3, where it is seen to be bentacross: its width in two places so as to form a rectangular U having abase portion 21 whereby it is attached to a cabinet door 32 by means ofa single screw 23. One arm 25 of said spring carries a door opening pin26, andthe other arm 27 carries a latching pin 28. Said pins may beattached to the end-s of the leaf spring in any convenient manner, as bysoldering or by having the end portions of the spring coiled aroundthem. When the spring is in its operative position said pins extendvertically and project considerably below the spring. In the operationof the device the latching pin 28 co-operates with the grooved portionof the catch plate, and the other pin co-operates with the edge portion11 of said plate.

in the drawing the device is shown with its catch plate it attached tothe front edge portion of a shelf 3% of a cabinet frame 31, and with itsspring member attached to the inner side of a door 32 of the cabinet.

In FIG. 7 the path of the latching pin 28 is diagrammatically indicatedby the three small circles a, b and c and by the arrow d. As the doorapproaches the closed position the latching pin glides over the cam face12 until it abuts the outer shoulder 17a located at the mouth of theentrant groove portion 16. Then, when the operator releases pressureupon the door it swings outwardly a little because the door opening pin26 is in engagement with the cam surface 11. During this slight outswingof the door the pin 28 moves along the outwardly inclined entrant groove16 until, as indicated at b, it abuts the inner shoulder formed by theprojection 17, where it maintains the door in an approximately closedposition, until the operator, desiring to open it, presses inwardly uponit, thus causing the latching pin 28 to override the projection 17 andpass from position b to position 0 in the exit portion of the groove.Owing to the cam surface 11 acting upon the pin 26, when the operatorreleases pressure upon the door it swings to a slightly open positionwhile the latching pin moves outwardly as indicated by the arrow 01, sothat the operator may grasp the edge portion of the door and open it aswidely as desired. Doors provided with this device do not need to befurnished with handles or knobs.

It will be seen that, until the operator presses upon the closed door toopen it, the latching pin 28 holds the door almost completely closed, inopposition to the tendency of the spring arm 26 to open it, as shown inFIG. 4. The pin 28 of the spring arm which carries it prevents thelatching pin 28 from overriding the projection 17 until the operatorpresses the door into a completely closed position. As the door isclosed or slammed in all the forward force will be taken up between thedoor and cabinet. At this point the latching pin 28 will be in aposition to enter the groove 16 and move on to the shoulder 17, which itcannot pass over until the door is pushed farther in. The angle orforward inclination of the groove 16 is just the amount required tobring the door to the locked position shown in FIG. 4.

Providing the device with the grooved one piece catch block 10, whichhas been described, affords a very stable 3 the purview of the claims,may be made without exceeding the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A latch of the kind described comprising a U-shaped spring attachableto a cabinet door with its arms on the same level and projectinginwardly from said door, a pin carried by and projecting downwardly fromeach of said arms, one of said pins being a latching pin and the othera-door opening pin, a thick catch plate which, viewed in its operativeposition, has a front side portion and end edge portions which convergeforwardly and join said front side portion, a groove in the upper faceof said plate, said groove having an entrant portion for said latchingpin leading in from the rear part of one of said end edge portion-s andan exit portion leading thence to said front side portion of the plate,an outer stop shoulder for said latching pin at the mouth of saidentrant portion of said groove, an inner stop shoulder for said latchingpin at the juncture of the entrant and exit portions of said groove,said entrant groove portion being forwardly inclined from said outer tosaid inner stop shoulder, and means to secure said catch plate upon thefront edge portion of a cabinet shelf in a position for the door openingpin to engage the inclined end edge of said catch plate farthest fromthe entrant groove portion and for the latching pin under stress toengage the said outer shoulder when the door is closed, thence to travelalong the entrant portion of the groove to said inner stop shoulder whenpressure upon the door is released, renewed pressure upon the doorcausing said latching pin to override said inner stop shoulder and allowsaid door opening pin slightly to open the door.

2. The subject matter of claim 1, and said spring being a leaf springbent across its width to give it its U-shape.

3. A latch of the kind described comprising a spring portion mountableon a cabinet door and having an arm carrying a downwardly projectinglatching pin; and a thick catch plate mountable upon the front edgeportion of the floor or of a shelf of a cabinet, there being in theupper face of said plate a groove with a laterally directed entrantportion and a forwardly and rearwardly extending portion for saidlatching pin to traverse, said groove portions opening out at edgeportions of the plate, said spring portion having a part which tends toswing the door slightly open whenever the latching pin occupies any partof the aforesaid groove, the entrant portion of said groove beingforwardly inclined from its inner end and having at its outer end ashoulder against which the latching pin first abuts while under stressagainst the edge of the plate when the door is swung toward closedposition until its movement is arrested, there being also a shoulder atthe inner end of the entrant groove portion in a position to arrest themovement of the latching pin at a point wherein it holds the door in anapproximately closed position so that, when the door is pressed fartherin the latching pin overrides this shoulder and enters the exit portionof the groove, allowing the door opening portion of the spring to swingthe door to a slightly open' position, and the spring portion of thelatch comprising a U-shaped spring one arm of which carries saidlatching pin, and a cam portion on said plate, which acts upon the otherarm of said spring to swing the door slightly open.

4. A latch of the kind described comprising a spring portion mountableon a cabinet door and having an arm carrying a downwardly projectinglatching pin; and a thick catch plate mountable upon the front edgeportion of the floor or of a shelf of a cabinet, there being in theupper face of said plate a groove with a laterally directed entrantportion and a forwardly and rearwardly extending portion for saidlatching pin to traverse, said groove portions opening out at edgeportions of the plate, said spring portion having a part which tends toswing the door slightly open whenever the latching pin occupies any partof the aforesaid groove, the entrant portion of said groove beingforwardly inclined from its inner end and having at its outer end ashoulder against which the latching pin first abuts while under stressagainst the edge of the plate when the door is swung toward closedposition until its movement is arrested, there being also a shoulder atthe inner end of the entrant groove portion in a position to arrest themovement of the latching pin at a point wherein it holds the door in anapproximately closed position so that, when the door is pressed fartherin the latching pin overrides this shoulder and enters the exit portionof the groove, allowing the door opening portion of the spring to swingthe door to a slightly open position, and said spring being a leafspring rightangularly bent across its width at each end of its basalportion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 565,005 8/96Kneisly 29217 1,036,100 8/12 Hart 29217 1,493,794 5/24 Robertson 292-991,509,780 9/24 Robertson.

2,817,554 12/57 Hasselmark 292-240 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., PrimaryExaminer.

THOMAS J. HICKEY, Examiner.

1. A LATCH OF THE KIND DESCRIBED COMPRISING A U-SHAPED SPRING ATTACHABLETO A CABINET DOOR WITH ITS ARMS ON THE SAME LEVEL AND PROJECTINGINWARDLY FROM SAID DOOR, A PIN CARRIED BY AND PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY FROMEACH OF SAID ARMS, ONE OF SAID PINS BEING A LATCHING PIN AND THE OTHER ADOOR OPENING PIN, A THICK CATCH PLATE WHICH, VIEWED IN ITS OPERATIVEPOSITION, HAS A FRONT SIDE PORTION AND END EDGE PORTIONS WHICH CONVERGEFORWARDLY AND JOIN SAID FRONT SIDE PORTION, A GROOVE IN THE UPPER FACEOF SAID PLATE, SAID GROOVE HAVING AN ENTRANT PORTION FOR SAID LATCHINGPIN LEADING IN FROM THE REAR PART OF ONE OF SAID END EDGE PORTIONS ANDAN EXIT PORTION LEADING THENCE TO SAID FRONT SIDE PORTION OF THE PLATE,AN OUTER STOP SHOULDER FOR SAID LATCHING PIN AT THE MOUTH OF SAIDENTRANT PORTION OF SAID GROOVE, AN INNER STOP SHOULDER FOR SAID LATCHINGPIN AT THE JUNCTURE OF THE ENTRANT AND EXIT PORTIONS OF SAID GROOVE,SAID ENTRANT GROOVE PORTION BEING FORWARDLY INCLINED FROM SAID OUTER TOSAID INNER STOP SHOULDER, AND MEANS TO SECURE SAID CATCH PLATE UPON THEFRONT EDGE PORTION OF A CABINET SHELF IN A POSITION FOR THE DOOR OPENINGPIN TO ENGAGE THE INCLINED END EDGE OF SAID CATCH PLATE FARTHEST FROMTHE ENTRANT GROOVE PORTION AND FOR THE LATCHING PIN UNDER STRESS TOENGAGE THE SAID OUTER SHOULDER WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, THENCE TO TRAVELALONG THE ENTRANT PORTION OF THE GROOVE TO SAID INNER STOP SHOULDER WHENPRESSURE UPON THE DOOR IS RELEASED, RENEWED PRESSURE UPON THE DOORCAUSING SAID LATCHING PIN TO OVERRIDE SAID INNER STOP SHOULDER AND ALLOWSAID DOOR OPENING PIN SLIGHTLY TO OPEN THE DOOR.